


Muffin Meets Bagel

by barbitone



Series: Voltron Fanfiction [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Baking, Bottom Lotor (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Humor, Hurt Lotor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Masturbation, Off Screen Violence, Oral Sex, POV Shiro (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Top Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 00:58:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16713496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbitone/pseuds/barbitone
Summary: Shiro’s life had been perfectly pleasant and peaceful. He had his daily routine and his small bakery, and despite Hunk’s teasing that he needed to get a life he had a perfectly good one already. And then the recently disowned son of the richest man in the country came around looking for a job and turned everything upside down. Lotor was rude and brittle and terrible at following directions, easily the worst employee Shiro had ever had. But he clearly needed someone to just- give him a hand up, and what the hell was Shiro supposed to do, turn him away?





	Muffin Meets Bagel

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer alert- I have never worked in a coffee shop, cafe, or bakery, and I've also only every read like one coffee shop AU because tbh this trope is not really My Thing. And yet- here we are.
> 
> Basically this is a romcom, and any decent romcom needs a soundtrack, right? See the end notes for my amazing music selections, plus some totally unnecessary background info.

 

* * *

 

 

The breakfast rush went by without incident and by lunchtime Shiro was starting to lower his guard a little. Everything was still fine by two in the afternoon and he thought it would be ok to leave Lotor up front by himself so he could go do inventory in the back. Everything _was_ fine for a while, but less than half an hour later he heard raised voices and sighed before going over to check it out.

“-what the hell is wrong with you?” Lotor was asking a group of guys standing at the counter. Although maybe ‘asking’ wasn’t the right word, it was more like hushed yelling, if yelling could be hushed.

“Come on man,” one of the guys said. He was holding a printout of something and Shiro had a feeling they were about to have an _incident_. “What are you getting so worked up over? It was badass what you did- leading that protest against Galra Construction-“

“I’m supposed to thank you for coming in here to bother me because you thought it was _badass_?” Lotor snarled. “They bulldozed that fucking forest anyway and then my father disowned me, you fucks! You think it’s cute to come in here and ask me to sign my fucking mugshot? Get the fuck out of here before I climb over this counter and-“

“Ok!” Shiro broke in, wrapping his arm around Lotor’s shoulders and firmly pulling him away. “I’ll be right with you,” he said to the guys with a strained smile. “Just give us a minute.”

He led Lotor into the kitchen before letting go of him.

“We talked about this,” he said carefully.

Lotor crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at something just past Shiro’s chin.

“You can’t yell at customers,” Shiro continued. “You understand that, right?”

“Ugh,” Lotor groaned, turning away to run his hands through his hair. “So I’m supposed to just- just _let_ them walk all over me? Maybe you can add me to the fucking menu- mugshot autographs from disowned heir of real estate developer-“

“Come on, that’s not fair,” Shiro cut him off. “You know that’s not what I’m asking-“

“Fuck them!” Lotor exclaimed. “I’m not going to just- _play nice_ with every asshole that comes in here looking for me-“

“Ok,” Shiro said with a sigh. “Why don’t you just- go home and cool off.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Lotor hissed and grabbed his leather jacket off the coat hook before storming out the back door.

“Great,” Shiro muttered and went back out front. The guys were gone, of course. They weren’t really going to buy anything anyway. He sighed, not sure who exactly he was upset with most.

The next hour or so passed pretty uneventfully and during a lull in customers he figured he may as well go take out the trash. As soon as he stepped out back he was overwhelmed by the smell of cigarettes and sighed, exhausted all over again.

“I thought I told you to go home?” he asked.

Lotor looked up from where he’d been sitting on the curb huddled in his jacket and picking at the holes in his jeans, chain smoking next to the dumpster.

“You also said to cool off, so _home_ is not the best place for that right now.”

“Am I supposed to know what that means?” Shiro asked.

“First of all,” Lotor said, pointing his cigarette at Shiro accusingly, “I have four fucking roommates. _Four_. And it’s three fifty-nine in the afternoon which means Zethrid is rolling a fat blunt as we speak so she and Ezor can hotbox the bathroom and then have loud sex in the kitchen or something, right in time for Acxa to come home from the library at five to yell at them. Meanwhile Narti gets home around five thirty-“

“Ok, I get the picture,” Shiro cut him off.

“Yeah, well,” Lotor muttered, lighting a fresh cigarette off the burning end of his old one before flicking the discarded butt at the dumpster haphazardly. “I still don’t.” He laughed bitterly. “A year ago I was living in a penthouse and now I’m-“ he broke off sharply, looking away. “Whatever,” he muttered.

“Ok,” Shiro said at last. “Come back after hours tonight. Not reeking of cigarettes preferably.”

Lotor stabbed his still mostly unsmoked cigarette out on the asphalt violently before jerking to his feet. “If you’re going to fire me, just- just _fire_ me,” he bit out. “You don’t have to drag me in here after hours, I’m not going to make a scene, ok?”

Shiro smiled a little. “If I was going to fire you I would have done it two weeks ago when you punched that reporter.”

Lotor seemed taken aback at that. “Oh.”

“Come back at eight,” Shiro said.

“Alright,” Lotor said quietly and Shiro nodded before going back into the shop.

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur and just as Shiro was flipping the sign from open to closed Lotor walked up in a fresh shirt at least. He only reeked of cigarettes a little which was a significant improvement.

“Hi,” Shiro said with a small smile. Lotor didn’t answer. “Ok, come on then.”

Lotor followed him back to the kitchen and seemed a little perplexed when Shiro handed him an apron.

“Go on,” Shiro said, trying not to laugh at the way Lotor wrinkled his nose as he pulled it on. “This too-“

“Is that a fucking scrunchie?” Lotor asked, his eyes wide with horror.

“Yeah,” Shiro laughed. “Come on, pull your hair back.”

“Alright, what the fuck are we doing here?” Lotor demanded.

“I think over the past month we’ve established you probably shouldn’t be behind the register.”

“Ok,” Lotor said slowly.

“Well, Hunk’s leaving for his study abroad in two weeks. I was going to hire someone for the kitchen but I may as well give you a shot at it first.”

“What?” Lotor asked incredulously. “You want me to- _bake_?”

“I know you can read,” Shiro said lightly, “and you can even follow directions sometimes. This should be a snap.”

He pulled out the recipe book, opening it to the page for Hunk’s raspberry chocolate muffins and sliding it over to Lotor. He still seemed skeptical so Shiro carefully put a hand on his shoulder.

“Listen,” he said quietly, “if this doesn’t work out we’ll figure out something else, ok? Just- give it a shot.”

Lotor sighed heavily and took the scrunchie, pulling his shoulder-length hair back into a ponytail.

While Lotor read through the recipe Shiro went over to turn on the radio and grabbed his files so he could do the books, setting up on the other side of the kitchen island.

Lotor glanced up at him a little nervously. “So- you want me to-“

“Make some muffins,” Shiro said with a smile.

“By myself?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said. “This is just a trial run, we don’t need enough for the shop. Just make a quarter of the recipe. Just to see.”

“Fine,” Lotor said, looking back down. He stared for a while longer and then sighed again and took the book with him as he started rifling through the kitchen cabinets for the ingredients and utensils he needed.

He stared at everything set out before him with something like panic in his eyes and then set his jaw and got started. Shiro glanced up at him occasionally just to make sure he was doing ok and had to try and hold back a laugh every time at Lotor’s pained expression. He looked like Shiro had asked him to dig his own grave rather than make a batch of baked goods.

“Fuck!” Lotor cursed thirty minutes later.

“What is it?” Shiro asked, looking up from his purchase orders.

“I-“ he flushed a little in embarrassment, not meeting Shiro’s eyes. There was flour in his hair and a smear of batter on his chin and Shiro had to hold back a smile, knowing it wouldn’t go over so well right now. “I mixed up the sugar and the salt,” Lotor said with a sharp sigh.

“Alright,” Shiro said. “Throw it out and start again.”

Lotor looked up at him with his eyebrows drawn down in frustration.

“Throw it out and start again,” Shiro repeated firmly.

Lotor looked down at the bowl of batter like it had betrayed him and then threw the contents in the trash before rinsing it out and starting again. He was even slower the second time, but after about an hour he had a batch of muffins in the oven.

Shiro had long run out of things to occupy himself with but he made a show of shuffling papers around occasionally while he watched Lotor, sitting on a counter stool. He had his head pillowed on his crossed arms on the kitchen island, watching the muffins bake with narrowed eyes. The timer dinged and he jerked up, just barely remembering to grab the oven mitts before pulling the tray out.

“They look good,” Shiro said as Lotor set the tray down in front of him.

“Yeah?” Lotor asked, perking up a little.

“Yeah,” Shiro said with a smile. “Ready to try one?”

“Uh- ok,” Lotor said nervously.

Shiro grabbed a plate and some silverware before using a fork to pull one of the muffins out of the tin. It slid out easily, an encouraging sign. When he cut it in half he couldn’t help smiling- the texture was good, the distribution of raspberries and chocolate was even. He’d fully expected Lotor to be able to put together a decent batch of muffins but so far this was going even better than he’d thought it would.

“Here,” he said, handing Lotor a fork before he took a piece of the muffin and popped it into his mouth. Lotor did the same cautiously, his expression carefully blank as he chewed slowly.

“It’s good,” Shiro said with a smile. “Very good.”

“Really?” Lotor asked.

“Of course. Don’t you think so?”

Lotor shrugged awkwardly, looking away.

“I think this could work,” Shiro said. “What do you think? You could come in Monday morning and train with Hunk until he leaves. It’ll be different hours than what you’re working now, of course. And there will be a pay increase, too. You can stay in the back and I’ll get someone else for the register. How does that sound?”

“That sounds- good,” Lotor said at last, smiling faintly. Even that little made his face light up, smoothing out the worry lines on his brow and making his eyes crinkle up endearingly.

Shiro couldn’t help beaming at him. “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you smile.”

The smile immediately turned into a scowl and Shiro wished he hadn’t mentioned it.

“I smile all the time,” Lotor said, frowning.

“Sure,” Shiro said, not wanting to start an argument. He checked the time, it was already past ten. “So it’s settled? You’ll be in on Monday bright and early, and we’ll get you set up to take over in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, alright,” Lotor said, still uncertain.

“Great,” Shiro said, impossibly pleased at the thought that this may yet work out. “Well, it’s late. I think we should both head home.”

“Yeah.” Lotor pulled the scrunchie out of his hair and took off the apron.

“You should take those with you,” Shiro pointed to the muffins. “For you and your roommates.”

“Ok,” Lotor muttered, sounding oddly defeated as he arranged them in a box. “Well,” he paused, looking down. “Thank you, Shiro,” he said quietly, “for giving me another chance. I know I’ve- I haven’t been-“

“You’ve been doing just fine,” Shiro said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We just needed to find the right fit for you, and I think this might be it.”

“Ok,” Lotor said, still not looking at him. “Well- good night.”

“Good night.” Shiro watched Lotor take the box of muffins and go to the back door.

“Oh fuck this piece of shit goddamn night,” Lotor cursed as soon as he opened it. It was pouring outside, the sound of the rain suddenly so loud Shiro wondered how he could have missed it before.

He felt a little bad for keeping Lotor late now, he knew he didn’t have a car and even though he lived close by he’d get drenched in seconds, making for a miserable walk.

“Hey, I’ll drive you home,” he offered.

“I’ll be fine,” Lotor said, still staring mournfully out at the rain, clutching the box of muffins to his chest.

“No, come on,” Shiro pushed. “You’re close right? It’s not a big deal.”

Lotor still hadn’t moved so Shiro took a chance and walked over to carefully close and lock the back door.

“I’m parked out front,” he said. “Come on.”

Lotor followed him through the shop and out to his truck, jogging through the rain until they were both inside. Shiro started the engine and turned the heater on high.

“Alright, where to?”

Lotor was staring straight ahead with that same strangely defeated look and Shiro was starting to get a little worried.

“The diner on the corner of third and main,” Lotor said at last.

Shiro frowned. “What? Why?”

“I want to get a cup of coffee,” he said.

“Coffee?” Shiro asked, raising his eyebrows quizzically as he tried to decode the expression on Lotor’s face. “It’s past ten, and you could have made coffee back at the shop-“

“Well, maybe I want a piece of pie, too,” Lotor said, his voice rising. “What does it matter? If that’s a problem I can just-“ he reached for the door handle.

“No, it’s not a problem, I’ll take you,” Shiro said quickly. He put the truck in reverse to back out of the spot and was suddenly struck with inspiration. “You know,” he said casually, “a piece of pie sounds great right about now. I’ll join you.”

“What?” Lotor asked, sounding a little panicked. “I- I wasn’t inviting you!”

Shiro shrugged. “Well, I don’t really need your permission to go get pie, do I? If it makes you feel better I can sit at a different table.”

Lotor sighed sharply and looked out the window. “Fine,” he muttered.

He seemed nervous as he walked in, making a beeline for a corner booth. Shiro followed and sat down across from him. He figured Lotor wouldn’t have an issue with telling him to get fucked if he wanted him to go, he never had before.

“You’re in later than usual, dear,” the beaming waitress said.

“Yeah,” Lotor said with a shrug.

“Coffee, then? And who’s this handsome man with you?” She said the last while smiling at Shiro warmly. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll take some tea, please,” Shiro said. “And a piece of apple pie, with a scoop of ice cream on top if you can.”

“Of course, honey,” the waitress smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

“You come here often?” Shiro asked.

Lotor frowned, fiddling with his silverware. He shrugged awkwardly. “Sometimes.”

The waitress was already back with their drinks and the pie and Shiro grinned as he thanked her.

“This is good,” he mumbled after trying it. The pastry was flaky and delicious, the apple filling was piping hot and well-spiced with cinnamon and cloves, the sweet cold hit of vanilla ice cream on top rounding out each bite perfectly.

“Mmm,” Lotor said noncommittally, cradling his cup of black coffee in his hands.

“I thought you wanted pie?” Shiro asked. “You should try some, really,” he pushed the plate towards him.

Lotor wrinkled his nose and looked away. “I’m fine.”

Shiro didn’t really know what else to say as he ate slowly. What were they doing here?

“I’m going to the restroom,” he said. “Keep an eye on this for me.” He pushed the plate a little closer to Lotor before standing to go. He took his time coming back and was pleased to see Lotor picking at the pie when he stepped into the main room. He watched him eat for a few moments and then frowned as he saw some guy walking over to say something angrily to him, pointing his finger at Lotor’s face.

Lotor’s shoulders tensed as he pushed the plate away, refusing to look at the guy. Shiro walked over just in time to catch the stranger saying-

“-your dirtbag father-“

“Hey, man,” Shiro said with a friendly smile, dropping his prosthetic arm heavily over the guy’s shoulders. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll fuck right off.”

“Was I talking to you?” he asked, glaring.

“You’re talking to me now,” Shiro said with his best _don’t fuck with me_ grin, tightening his metal fingers threateningly.

The guy swallowed a little and then jerked out of his grip before turning to go. Shiro watched him for a moment, just to make sure he left the diner, and then sat back down.

“Good pie, right?” he asked, reaching for his fork.

“Yeah,” Lotor said, his shoulders slowly relaxing again. “You know I can take care of myself right?”

“I know you can. You _don’t_ , but you can,” Shiro said, taking another bite.

Lotor sighed heavily and rested the side of his face on his hand, reaching for his own fork. They finished the pie in companionable silence and Shiro signalled the waitress for the check.

“Time to head home,” he said as he dropped some cash on the table.

“You go,” Lotor said quietly. “I think I’ll just stay a bit longer.”

“Alright, what’s going on?” Shiro asked as gently as he could. “Why don’t you want to go home? Is something wrong? Roommate troubles?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lotor said. “I just-” he broke off and frowned, fiddling with his coffee cup.

“Come on, tell me. Maybe there’s something I can do to help.”

“There’s nothing wrong!” Lotor said, his voice rising a little desperately. “God, why do you have to be so- so- _impossible_!”

“That’s a little rich, coming from you,” Shiro said, smiling so Lotor knew he wasn’t mad. He reached out to drop his left hand over Lotor’s, forcing him to stop worrying at his empty cup.

“Fine,” Lotor hissed. “It’s not a big deal, anyway. It’s just- it’s Saturday night, so Ezor’s throwing a rager at our place.”

“So?” Shiro asked. “You don’t have work tomorrow anyway, you’re young- go party.”

Lotor snorted a little at that. “You say that like you’re ancient, you’re only two years older than me.”

“Come on, there’s more to this than a party,” Shiro pushed.

“My ex is going to be there, and I just- I don’t want to deal with that whole- _thing_ ,” he said at last.

Shiro frowned. “I thought you and Ezor were friends? Why would she invite someone you don’t want there?”

“She doesn’t _invite_ him,” Lotor said, looking down. “He just- always shows up at some point with his stupid friends when everyone’s too drunk to care and then just- circles around me like a vulture looking to take a piece. I can handle him, but I- I’d just rather-”

“Hang out at a diner all night?”

“Yeah,” Lotor breathed out, wincing. “Fuck. I know I sound like a coward, but I’m just-” he sighed, flushing with embarrassment. “I’m just tired,” he said quietly.

Well shit. Shiro’s heart was aching for him and he tried not to let it show. He forced himself to maintain his easy-going manner instead, knowing that would be the only thing Lotor would listen to now.

“Alright,” he said, tightening his hand a little over Lotor’s. “Come crash on my couch tonight.”

Lotor looked up at him. “I can’t- impose on you like that. Don’t want to cramp your style,” he said with a miserable attempt at a smile.

“What style?” Shiro asked with a laugh. “Come on, it’s no trouble. It’s gotta be better than sitting here drinking coffee all night.”

“Shiro, I can’t-”

“Are you worried I have bed bugs?” Shiro teased. “Afraid I’ll drag you with me on my morning run? I’ve got coffee at my place too, you can drink it all night long on a comfortable couch if that’s what you’re into.”

Lotor frowned, staring at their hands on the table.

“Come on, let’s go,” Shiro said, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. Lotor stood without further protest and followed him back to the car. Shiro tried to maintain a steady stream of banter during the ride but Lotor just stared out the window morosely the whole time.

He felt a little self-conscious as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Lotor was the son of the richest man in the country, surely to him Shiro’s place would seem like a piece of shit. But he only looked around with vague interest as he took in the small living room to the right with the couch and coffee table arranged in front of the TV. To the left was the kitchen, and past that the modest balcony.

“You can leave your boots by the door,” Shiro said. “And the bathroom’s the first door on the right,” he added, pointing to the hallway that led to his bedroom. “Give me a minute, I’ll be back with some sheets."

He left Lotor in the living room while he headed to the bedroom to get him some sheets, a blanket, a pillow. After a moment’s thought he grabbed a clean t-shirt and sweatpants as well as a towel, bringing the whole stack out to the living room and dropping it to the coffee table.

“I got you a change of clothes in case you want to shower or just as pajamas or whatever,” he said awkwardly as he started putting sheets on the couch and dropping the pillow and blanket on top. “Sorry, I don’t have an extra toothbrush but I think your teeth probably won’t fall out after just one day, right?”

Lotor laughed a little, turning to him from where he’d been looking through his bookshelf.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, and for once Shiro believed him.

“Do you need anything else?” Shiro asked.

“No, this is already-” Lotor looked away awkwardly and licked his lips. “Uh. Thank you.”

“Well,” Shiro paused, feeling like he should say something else while at the same time worried about making things even weirder than they already were. “Sleep as late as you want, feel free to grab whatever from the fridge. I’m going for a run at seven but I’ll try not to wake you.”

“At _seven_?” Lotor asked, wide-eyed. “In the morning? On a Sunday? There’s something seriously wrong with you.”

“Yeah, well. That’s what they keep telling me,” Shiro laughed, relieved as the tension suddenly drained out of the room. “I’m dead on my feet so I’m going to get ready for bed. Good night.”

Lotor raised his hand in a small wave and Shiro headed to the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth he couldn’t help thinking about Lotor hanging out in his living room. Was this- weird? Yeah, obviously, but was it _too_ weird? Shiro was Lotor’s boss technically, although it didn’t feel like it most of the time with the way Lotor talked back to him. Still, what exactly was the alternative? Leave him to sit in that diner all night, alone?

There was no chance Shiro was going to just stand by and let that happen.

In the morning he snuck past Lotor, breathing quietly as he slept curled up on the couch, to go for his run, and then did some grocery shopping while he was at it. He returned to see Lotor sitting up, a little dazed and adorably ruffled as he rubbed at his eyes.

“Morning,” Shiro said. “Breakfast?”

“Sure,” Lotor mumbled, either more agreeable in the mornings or simply too groggy to maintain his brittle exterior. He got up to go to the bathroom and Shiro felt a pang of fondness mixed with something hotter, something like lust. He was used to seeing Lotor dressed like a member of some kind of biker gang and having him here- soft and sleepy, wearing Shiro’s clothes- felt oddly illicit, like he was seeing something secret and intimate.

Shiro stamped the feeling down ruthlessly and put on coffee before he got started on eggs and bacon. He wasn’t about to turn this into something it wasn’t. It would be super inappropriate on so many levels and he was just- not going to go there.

He’d gotten himself together by the time Lotor came back and they ate at the kitchen island, talking easily about the shop, the weather, random nonsense. It was oddly comfortable and Shiro found himself disappointed when Lotor stood at last.

“I’d better go home and help clean up,” he said.

“Do you want a ride?”

“Nah, it’s not too far. And it’s not raining anymore either,” Lotor said. “And the longer it takes, the longer I can put off knowing if someone’s puked on my futon, so. That’s a bonus.”

“Well, you’re always welcome here,” Shiro said with a smile, trying to keep it casual and light. “If you need a place to crash next time there’s a party, or whenever.”

“Thanks,” Lotor said. “I- that’s really nice of you, Shiro. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t forget your muffins,” Shiro said once he was dressed and ready to go.

“Yeah,” Lotor said, grinning for real now in a way that made Shiro feel a little short of breath. “See you tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

“Can I help you?” Shiro asked the group of three young women standing at the counter. He already knew he probably couldn't. All three of them were holding a two-year-old issue of People Magazine with a picture of Lotor staring out moodily from the cover with a tagline that read _Rising Star?_

“Um, we heard Lotor worked here?” the woman in the center asked. “Is he- is he here?”

Shiro looked off into the distance, frowning pensively. “He was,” he said sadly. “The last thing he said to me was- ‘I just can’t take all this attention- it’s killing me,’ and then he went for a motorcycle ride to clear his head. That was days ago now.”

He sighed, looking back at the women now staring at him in shock. “If you want to leave me your numbers I can give you a call if the police ever find him.”

One of the women started sniffling and Shiro felt a little bad. Not bad enough that he didn’t lean forward and say- “There, there, dear- you know what will cheer you up? Some blueberry scones.”

They stared up at him, teary eyed, and he twisted the knife, sighing and looking off into the distance again. “They were always his favorites,” he said, wiping at his eyes.

“We’ll take a dozen,” one of the women sobbed out.

“Of course, will that be cash or credit?”

The rest of the transaction proceeded as usual and before long they were leaving.

“Woah there, Satan,” he heard and jumped a little guiltily, turning to see Hunk behind him holding a plate of tiny pastries. “How long have you been doing that?”

“Since Monday,” Shiro said with a sheepish smile. “I’ve got to say, sales are up and annoying lookie-loos are down so I am definitely not going to apologize. How is he doing?”

“How is he _doing_?” Hunk repeated and Shiro wasn’t sure how to take his tone.

“Yeah, do you think he’ll be ready by the time you have to leave?”

“Shiro, my buddy, my man- you have opened up a can of whoop-ass on yourself like you cannot believe. He’s a monster. He’s ready _now_ , he was probably ready two days ago. He did something to my raspberry eclair recipe that made it a thousand times better and he refuses to tell me what until I teach him how to make ice cream.”

Hunk paused, frowning. “I’m warning you- I am _going_ to teach him how to make ice cream and that’s going to make your life ten times harder. You may as well start budgeting for new equipment now because your man has expensive tastes.”

“So that’s- good, then?” Shiro asked.

Hunk shrugged. “Yes? No? All I know is it’s about to be not my problem. I planned on doing bread all week next week, but at this rate I have no idea what we’re going to do after Wednesday.”

“Well?” Lotor demanded, bursting out of the kitchen dusted with flour and with strands of hair escaping his scrunchie to frame his face. “Have you tried them yet? What do you think?”

Shiro made a show of scowling as he put his hands on his hips. “Hey! Get back in the kitchen before you ruin my scam.”

“Scam?” Lotor asked, frowning.

“Pretty sure he’s telling people you’re dead to trick them into buying baked goods,” Hunk said.

Lotor laughed a little. “Oh yeah. Right, sorry.” He laughed again and disappeared into the back.

“Well?” Hunk asked, pushing the plate towards him. There were three tiny cakes on it in perfect miniature, each iced and decorated with berries and delicate piping. Shiro carefully took one and popped it into his mouth, smiling already. The sponge cake was impossibly moist, the icing adding just the right amount of fresh and fruity sweetness. The one he’d picked tasted of strawberry and mint and he looked at the others with interest- he could tell by the garnishes one was definitely lemon and blueberry, another was raspberry and chocolate. Shiro had a feeling they were all delicious.

“What did I tell you?” Hunk said. “Monster. He wants to make a batch of these for the shop and I told him I needed to ask you first but honestly I just needed a _break_.”

“You mean- he’s going to make these right now?” Shiro asked as he picked up the lemon blueberry cake.

“Yeah,” Hunk said. “I’ve gotta leave in like half an hour actually, but maybe this’ll be a good trial run.”

“Sure,” Shiro said, already reaching for the last pastry with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll tell him,” Hunk said. “But you should check in on him periodically while I’m gone, because otherwise you’ll end up with a six foot high croquembouche or fifteen hundred macaroons or something.”

“I love macaroons,” Shiro said.

“Well, sure- yeah. Who doesn’t. Just remember- I warned you.” Hunk shook his finger threateningly in Shiro’s face.

He went back into the kitchen and less than two hours later Shiro was arranging the fresh new pastries in the display case. He found himself humming a little as he worked, overjoyed at the way everything was coming together. It had only been a week but Lotor no longer seemed like a powder keg about to go off at any moment and he didn’t smoke during his breaks anymore, although he turned into a chimney as soon as he finished up in the kitchen.

“What are you still doing here?” Shiro asked when he went into the back at five to find Lotor staring at a recipe book intently. “Haven’t you been here since the crack of dawn?”

“Oh,” Lotor said, jerking up a little to glance at the clock. “I guess so.”

To Shiro’s surprise the kitchen was spotless. There was a plate of delicate lace cookies on the kitchen island, their edges dipped in chocolate, and he grabbed one and took a bite. Delicious, though at this point he wasn’t expecting anything less.

“Do you want to crash at my place again?” Shiro asked. “Or is there no party tonight?”

“There’s a party practically every night,” Lotor said with a smile that didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. “If it’s ok- I mean. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind. Staying over.”

“Sure,” Shiro said. “You can come meet me here at closing time and we’ll drive over together, or you can meet me at my place. Whatever you want.”

“Uh, I was actually hoping to stay here for a bit longer?” Lotor asked nervously. “I wanted to try making caramel, but we only have one working burner at home and Zethrid’s always hogging it to make macaroni or boil her bong or her dildos, or whatever.”

“The more I learn about your apartment the less I want to know,” Shiro said flatly and Lotor laughed. “Stay if you want, but we’re leaving at eight o’clock sharp so don’t get carried away.”

“Sure, yeah,” Lotor said, already not paying any attention to him.

When they got back to Shiro’s apartment he ordered a pizza while Lotor went to shower to get the flour out of his hair, coming back out in Shiro’s clothes again which definitely wasn’t weirdly hot. Shiro managed to move past it by the time the pizza came and they ate on the couch watching some cheerful baking show.

“Look at this moron,” Lotor stabbed at the screen with his half-eaten slice. “I can’t believe he just threw his whole cake away. They could have at least tasted the meringue!”

“Harsh,” Shiro said with a laugh. “It’s stressful! Give him a break.”

“Pfft,” Lotor rolled his eyes. “ _Stressful_? It’s a British show, they can practice ahead of time and they have a million hours to do everything. It’s not like Gordon Ramsey is yelling at them the whole time either- no one yells at them at all! They just banter with the lesbians and sit around watching their ovens! They don’t even get a fucking prize at the end- it’s such low stakes!”

A sharp considering look passed over his face.

“Please don’t,” Shiro said just as Lotor said-

“I bet I can make a baked alaska.”

“No,” Shiro groaned. “I swear, do _not_ make baked alaskas! Where are we supposed to keep them? I’ll need a special display case for the ice cream, and you’ve already asked for at least five other things-”

“Well is it my fault we don’t already have a blow torch?” Lotor asked. “Hunk said he asked for one ages ago-”

“I promise I’ll get you a blow-torch,” Shiro said, nudging him in the side with his elbow.

Lotor grinned. “We can make creme-brulees! They’re practically guaranteed to be a best seller and they’re not even that hard. Hunk explained it to me yesterday, it’s just custard cooked in a water bath-”

Shiro smiled as he listened to Lotor go on, his whole face lighting up with the sort of easy excitement Shiro hadn’t entirely thought he was capable of. When he’d first come around asking for a job a little over a month ago he’d been angry and bitter, defensive and perpetually exhausted, running on some kind of dark crackling energy that threatened to destroy anything that came into contact with him. He’d calmed down a little since the beginning but it wasn’t until this past week that he seemed anything close to happy. It was like he’d found his calling and now he was blossoming into someone so radiant Shiro sometimes had a hard time looking directly at him.

Shiro was startled out of his thoughts by the feeling of Lotor slumping against his side, fast asleep. He let himself enjoy the warm weight of Lotor’s body against his for just a minute, maybe two at most, before he shook Lotor gently by the shoulder. 

“Hey,” he said.

Lotor groaned quietly and turned his face into him. Shiro shivered a little at the feeling of Lotor’s breath ghosting over his neck and gently pushed him away.

“Hey,” he said again, “I think it’s time for bed.”

Lotor yawned and straightened, rubbing at his eyes. “Yeah, alright,” he said softly. By the time Shiro came back with the sheets he was slumped on the couch, asleep again. Shiro figured the sheet was a lost cause but he left the pillow within easy reach before draping a blanket over him. As he tucked it closer around Lotor’s shoulders he stirred, opening his eyes. He looked up at Shiro with confusion for a moment and then his lips quirked up into an easy smile full of bone-deep satisfaction before he closed eyes again, fast asleep.

Shiro pulled back, a little shaken by that smile, by the way Lotor looked so _right_ here wrapped up in Shiro’s blanket on his couch. Like he belonged.

Standing on shaking legs Shiro made his way back to his room and undressed for bed, suddenly feeling impossibly bereft as he climbed under his cold sheets alone. He couldn’t stop picturing Lotor’s satisfied smile, the way he looked in Shiro’s clothes that were a little too big for him, how he tucked his bare feet up under himself when he sat on the couch, how elegant his fingers were as he decorated pastries, or washed dishes, or did anything at all.

Too late Shiro realized he was touching himself, thinking about pushing the hem of the t-shirt up Lotor’s stomach and chest, sliding his hand past the waistband of his sweatpants. He’d be naked underneath, probably was right now, and he’d moan and arch into Shiro’s hands. Or would he be quiet and shy? Would Shiro have to coax the moans out of him slowly, stroke his hands down his chest and thighs to ease the tension out of his body?

Shiro inhaled sharply, wrapping his fingers a little more firmly around his cock. Fuck, he shouldn’t be doing this, he knew he shouldn’t. But it was so good already, and he couldn’t get himself to stop imagining what it would be like to kiss Lotor, to press his tongue into his mouth and sink his hands into his hair. It would be impossibly soft, silky over his skin, over his face when he’d press his lips to Lotor’s neck as he pushed the sweatpants down his hips.

Shiro brought his other hand to his mouth to try and stifle any stray sounds as he pictured Lotor naked below him, gasping as Shiro fucked him slowly, just right. He’d be moaning and writhing in pleasure, begging for more-

“Oh,” Shiro breathed out, shivering as he came, his hand slowing at last. “Oh no,” he whispered into the air of his dark empty room.

 

* * *

 

The transition between Hunk and Lotor went surprisingly smoothly and for a while Lotor dutifully worked from the recipes Hunk had left behind. And then he demanded to see the sales records and ruthlessly culled the menu, keeping only the best selling items.

“I’m not wasting my time on duds,” he said dismissively when Shiro asked him about it. After the first week it was clear that profits were up while costs were down, and after that Shiro left him to his own devices.

Lotor started playing around with his own recipes, making them for only a few days at a time before moving on. Business picked up as word got out, customers coming in at all hours just so they wouldn’t miss out on the latest limited-edition pastries.

Shiro hired a literature student named Lance for the register and a comp-sci major named Pidge to pick up any slack. She took it upon herself to take over their website and social media accounts, so by the time Lotor decided to do theme weeks based on the baking show he liked they already had hundreds of online followers.

“Isn’t this a copyright violation or something?” Shiro asked.

“They’re _British,_ ” Lotor smirked. “What are they going to do? Send a very stern letter? It’ll be great, you’ll see.”

Shiro shrugged and let him do whatever he wanted. He ended up being right, of course, and Shiro hired a political science grad student named Allura to help him out in the kitchen to keep up with demand. Lotor started doing his own versions of the baking show challenges that were even more popular than the others had been and Shiro seriously started questioning the need for a bigger space.

Throughout it all their Saturday nights together became something like a comfortable routine, which was great except Shiro was going a little mad with lust. Lotor had some of his stuff at his place now, which meant instead of wearing Shiro’s clothes to sleep in he wandered around in a tight black tank top and thin track pants that clung to his ass sinfully and had holes up and down the thighs.

Shiro had stopped trying not to jerk off to him ages ago, it was the only way he could stay sane. Despite it all, he could barely keep it together and not just- grab him and kiss him senseless. Whenever he found himself tempted he tried to picture himself signing Lotor’s paychecks to remind himself why he needed to just- keep his hands to himself and not do something stupid to fuck everything up.

Because Lotor was _happy_ now, he came to work beaming and left pleasantly exhausted, he clearly loved what he was doing. If Shiro did anything to jeopardize that he’d never forgive himself. It wasn’t so long ago that they’d been sitting in a diner with Lotor looking absolutely devastated as he said- _I’m just tired._

Shiro never wanted to see that expression on his face again, and if it meant rubbing his dick raw just so he wouldn’t reach out for him, then that’s what he’d do.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a pretty young woman coming up to the counter. She looked at the pastries in the display case with interest and then up at Shiro, staring at him sharply.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“I’m looking for Lotor,” she said. “Is he here?”

Shiro frowned a little, surprised. It had been weeks since anyone had come looking for him here, how did this woman miss the memo?

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said sweetly. “Last I heard he was backpacking through Budapest, trying to find inner peace and enlightenment.”

She laughed. “He said you might say something like that. Calling me ma’am was a nice touch though.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Acxa. One of his roommates?”

“Oh,” Shiro said, smiling sheepishly as he reached out to shake her hand. “In that case, yeah he’s here. Let me go see if he can talk.”

He walked into the kitchen carefully, cautious after the last time he’d come in and gotten yelled at for breaking Lotor’s concentration. It was late in the day, technically his shift was over but he was still here, making elaborate chocolate trees to decorate the black forest gateau he’d made earlier.

“Acxa’s here to see you,” Shiro said and Lotor looked up from where he’d been painstakingly using white chocolate to put tiny leaves on his trees.

“Oh,” he said, looking a little dazed as he slowly came back to earth. “Oh!” he said again, smiling now. “Is it cool if she comes back here?”

“Sure,” Shiro said with a shrug. “Any friend of yours is welcome.”

He led Acxa to the kitchen to see Lotor still hadn’t moved from his seat at the counter. Shiro hung back a little and watched as Acxa walked forward and wrapped her arms around Lotor’s shoulders tightly, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. Shiro couldn’t help the sting of envy he felt at seeing their easy affection and tried to bury it as deeply as possible.

“Look-” Lotor said proudly, gesturing to his in-progress creation.

“That’s very impressive babe,” Acxa said with a grin. “And yet you burned the rice last night. You’re just a miracle wrapped up in an enigma, huh.”

“Ok, is it my fault our stove is a piece of shit?” Lotor groused, but he was still smiling, his eyes glittering as he looked at his cake. “What’s up?”

“What’s up is you don’t check your fucking messages. We’ve been trying to reach you for like an hour. I think we finally found the perfect place- Narti’s there now, ready to sign the lease. We just want to make sure you’re cool with it.”

“Oh shit, really?” Lotor looked up at Acxa wide-eyed as she pulled up some photos on her phone, holding it in front of his face while she swiped through.

“Two bedrooms- but that’s what we have now technically and it’ll be so much easier to have three of us there than five. There’s two bathrooms, the washer and dryer downstairs actually works, and there’s central air too. Plus- someone had a heart attack and died in there last month so rent is _cheap_ ,” Acxa laughed.

“Oh my god- _windows_? It has windows?”

“I think you’ve been living with us too long if you’ve forgotten that most places tend to have windows-”

“Well- let’s do it! Let’s get it!”

Shiro slunk out of the kitchen to give them some privacy, feeling miserable and angry at himself for it. How could he be so selfish? He knew Lotor’s current living situation was a nightmare, over the past few months he’d casually mentioned a number of choice tidbits like the fact that the water only worked intermittently throughout the day, the appliances were perpetually broken, the drug-dealing upstairs neighbors had a rock band that practiced in their place at all hours.

But the only thing he could think of was no more Saturday nights together, no more eating pizza on the couch while Lotor yelled at the TV, no more eggs and bacon on Sunday morning, no more of Lotor’s sleepy smiles or mussed hair or bare toes curling into the carpet. No more of him falling asleep against Shiro’s side, or parading around in his stupidly tight tank top, or complaining about Shiro’s morning runs.

Shiro exhaled shakily. Maybe it was for the best. They could move their relationship away from the warm casual thing it had become and towards something professional, like it should have been all along. He swallowed around the knot in his throat. He wasn’t going to cry about this like some kind of loser, he was going to slap a smile on his face and be happy for Lotor, happy that his life was looking up and he didn’t need Shiro like that anymore. Hadn’t that been the point of all of this anyway?

“Hey, Shiro?”

He turned to see Acxa standing behind him, smiling up at him softly.

“Yes?” he asked, hoping that his face didn’t show how utterly devastated he felt.

“Thanks, for everything you’ve done for him. He’s almost bearable to live with now.”

Shiro arranged his features into a careful smile. “All I did was give him a chance,” he said. “He was the one that picked himself up and ran with it.”

“Yeah, well,” Acxa shrugged. “You’d be surprised to know how few people were willing to do even less than that for him. I mean it- thank you. You’re a good man.”

“Thanks,” he said quietly, not feeling so good about himself right about now.

“It was nice to meet you,” Acxa said, patting him on the arm. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Guess so,” Shiro said and watched her leave.

 

* * *

 

The first Saturday was utterly miserable. Shiro felt lonely and oddly unsettled, as though his day wasn’t quite complete. He got pizza and managed to choke down a single slice before pushing it away, suddenly disgusted by the smell and the grease, the stupid cardboard box sitting on his coffee table. He poured himself a glass of wine and tried to get into watching one of his favorite shows but felt too restless to pay attention, pulling out his laptop instead.

He was probably more than a little drunk when he found himself googling Lotor’s name and scrolling through the photos online. He’d been a typical high-profile asshole rich kid, back before his father had disowned him. There were tons of paparazzi photos of him stumbling drunk and half naked out of clubs with cute guys hanging off him, vacation photos of him lounging around on the beach, a few professional photo shoots. There were even rumors of a sex tape floating around out there somewhere and before long Shiro found himself staring at the search bar in horror, where he’d typed in “Lotor se-”

The cursor was blinking at him accusingly and he exhaled sharply before exiting out of the browser, feeling like a dirty old man.

Those pictures didn’t even remotely show what he wanted, anyway. He didn’t want to see Lotor drunk and dancing at a club, or sunbathing in tiny trunks while some model rubbed sunscreen on his back, or fucking some stranger in a dimly lit room. He wanted Lotor warm and close and at ease, wanted the intense attention he had on his face as he put a tray of muffins into the oven turned towards him instead.

He wanted Lotor here, on his couch, smiling at him, pulling his tank top off. He wanted to slip his fingers into the holes of Lotor’s track pants and stroke his thighs as he shivered, he wanted Lotor to straddle him and bend down to kiss him while Shiro ran his hands through his hair. He wanted it to be _real_ , not just sex, he wanted everything else too.

With a sigh he got up to go take a shower but all he could think about was Lotor, showering here just last week. All he could think about was Lotor naked, using Shiro’s soap, his shampoo, his towels. Did he ever touch himself while he was here? What did he think about if he did? Did he ever think about Shiro the way Shiro thought about him, or did he have his eye on someone else? Some boyfriend out there he’d never mentioned?

But he didn’t want to think about that, so instead he thought about Lotor’s smile, his clever hands, his narrow waist, his ass. Shiro stroked himself until he came with a soft gasp and then stood in the shower a while, feeling even worse than before.

He went for an extra long run on Sunday morning, trying to throw all his feelings for Lotor into pounding the pavement, and when that didn’t work he spent the rest of the day wallowing in shame and something almost like grief, if it was even possible to grieve over something he’d never really had.

He thought he kept it together pretty well the rest of the week, or at least Lotor didn’t seem to have noticed anything different. But then again, he didn’t notice much of anything while he was working. Shiro tried not to go into the back so much anymore, seeing Lotor’s intent expression as he jotted down notes, or decorated a cake, or mixed up icing, was agony. Shiro wanted him so badly and he just- couldn't. He knew he couldn’t, and it was tearing him apart.

He noticed Pidge throwing worried looks his way and resolved to try a little harder to put on a happy face but he found himself staring into the distance morosely every time there wasn’t something immediate to hold his attention. As the second lonely Saturday got closer he felt his heart shriveling in his chest and by Friday it took everything in him to even get out of bed in the morning.

After work he sat slumped on the couch scrolling aimlessly through his phone just to have something to do with his hands while the TV blared empty noise at him. When the knock came on his door it was so quiet that for a moment he thought he’d imagined it until his brain caught up with him and he was suddenly sure he’d heard it after all.

He rose and went to the door, opening it slowly.

Lotor was standing on the other side with his head and shoulders slumped down as he held his right arm awkwardly to his chest.

“Lotor?” Shiro asked uncertainly. Something was very wrong.

“Shiro,” he said quietly, and when he looked up Shiro gasped as he took in the bruise over his face, the sluggishly bleeding cut on his cheek.

“Come inside,” Shiro said, pulling him in. His adrenaline was pumping as he checked to see the hallway was empty before closing and locking the door. He heard Lotor sniffle behind him and turned just in time to see him wipe roughly at his eyes. “Hey,” he said, stepping toward him. “What happened?”

Lotor sagged forward to bury his face in Shiro’s shoulder and he froze for a moment before carefully wrapping his arms around him. He was shaking as Shiro stroked his back slowly. “What happened?” he asked again.

Lotor laughed a little, the sound heartbreakingly brittle like it hadn’t been for months. “Fell down some stairs,” he muttered.

“Yeah, ok,” Shiro said, pushing him away gently. “Sit down, let’s get you cleaned up. Do you want me to put on some tea? Something stronger?”

“Something stronger sounds good,” Lotor said quietly and Shiro got the first aid kit out of the bathroom before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, setting it all down on the coffee table before sitting on it himself, pulling it a little closer to the couch.

He poured out the whiskey and took a deep swig from his glass before handing the other over, wincing as he saw Lotor’s bruised and bloodied knuckles when he reached to take it. His hands were shaking as he drank.

“Did you get into a fight? Should I call the police?”

Lotor shook his head, looking down at his knees. Shiro took him gently by the chin and tilted his face up to inspect the damage. It looked like he’d been punched by someone wearing a heavy ring- the scratch was deep but Shiro didn’t think it would need any stitches at least.

“This is going to sting,” he warned before pressing some gauze soaked in hydrogen peroxide to the cut. Lotor winced but stayed stoic as Shiro cleaned it and then the smaller scrapes on his chin and forehead before moving on to his hands.

They both flinched at the sound of Lotor’s phone ringing. He was holding the whiskey in his left hand so he reflexively reached for his pocket with his right only to wince and stop abruptly.

“I’ll get it,” Shiro said, reaching into the pocket of Lotor’s leather jacket for his phone. The screen was busted, but not so badly that it was totally broken. He took the glass of whiskey out of Lotor’s hand and handed him the phone instead. Lotor stared down at it for a moment before answering.

“Hey Acxa,” he said quietly then winced and pulled the phone a little farther away from his ear.

_“What the hell, Lotor?!”_ Shiro heard Acxa yell, her voice distant and tinny through the speakers. _“You can’t just text me that Zarkon wants to see you and then drop off the map for three hours! I was about to call the fucking cops! What the fuck is going on!”_

“I’m fine,” he said, closing his eyes. “Don’t call the cops.”

_“Where are you? Do you need me to come get you? If you went back to Sendak I swear to god I’ll rip your balls off-”_

“No, I’m at Shiro’s.”

_“Shiro’s?”_ and then Acxa was talking quieter and Lotor brought the phone back to his ear and Shiro didn’t hear the rest.

“I will,” Lotor said quietly at last. “I will, sorry. I’m sorry. Alright. Bye.”

“Did your father do this?” Shiro asked slowly.

Lotor shrugged and looked away, smiling bitterly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I fell down some stairs.”

“Fuck,” Shiro breathed out. “Maybe you should press charges, sue him for assault.”

Lotor jerked back from him, eyes flashing in anger or maybe fear. “Are you crazy? He’ll fucking _bury_ me. Fuck-” he said, breaking off. He ran his hand through his hair restlessly. “Fuck. I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have come here. I should have just- I just wanted-” he exhaled sharply and made to stand but Shiro dropped his hands to grip him tightly by the thighs.

“Stop it,” he said. “Of course you should have come here. I won’t say anything else if you don’t want me to, alright? But just- don’t go. Or at least let me make sure you’re ok first.”

“Ok,” Lotor breathed out, relaxing a little.

“Alright,” Shiro said, letting his hands fall away. “What’s going on with your arm?”

“I don’t know. It hurts.”

“Ok, let me take a look, alright?"

Lotor nodded and between the two of them they managed to get his jacket off. He couldn’t raise his arm higher than his shoulder and Shiro found himself staring nervously at the tight black t-shirt he was wearing, wondering how they’d get it off without hurting him.

“How attached are you to that shirt?” he asked at last.

“Just cut it off, it’s fine,” Lotor muttered, downing his whiskey and shakily pouring himself another.

Shiro got up to get the kitchen shears to do it and winced when Lotor’s shirt fell away. His shoulder was badly bruised and scraped, but when he ran his left hand over the hot skin he didn’t feel anything broken or dislocated.

“How bad is it?” Lotor asked quietly.

“Could be much worse, considering. I’ll get you some ice and then you should take it easy for a while.”

“You know me,” Lotor said, “I’m so great at taking it easy.”

Shiro patted him on the knee before standing and looking around, momentarily at a loss. He pulled out his phone and texted Allura and Lance to ask if they could handle the shop on their own tomorrow and then grabbed a blanket and a pillow from his bedroom, swinging through the kitchen on the way back for some frozen peas and dish towels. Lotor was struggling to pull his boots off one-handed so Shiro dumped his haul on the coffee table before kneeling to help him.

“Are you hungry?” Shiro asked as he sat down on the couch, wrapping up one of the packages of frozen peas in a dish towel.

“I’m fine,” Lotor said and Shiro startled a little when he dropped the pillow against his thigh and lay down almost on top of him.

“Here, for your face,” Shiro said, handing over the makeshift ice pack. Lotor raised his head up a little to slide it under his face before lying back down. “Do you want to talk about it?” Shiro asked as he grabbed the blanket and draped it over him.

“I really, really don’t, thanks,” Lotor said, foregoing his glass to reach for the bottle of whiskey instead.

“You might feel better if you do,” Shiro said, starting on the second ice pack.

“I’d feel better if you could just please shut the fuck up and turn on my show.”

“Alright,” Shiro said and grabbed the remote to do as Lotor asked, the soothing sounds of cheerful music and British voices filling the room. “I’m going to put the other ice pack on now, ok?”

“Whatever.”

Lotor shivered a little as Shiro pressed the other wrapped up package of peas to his shoulder and held it there firmly with his prosthetic hand. They stayed silent for a while, watching the show as they drank.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Shiro said at last. “It would be nicer under better circumstances, but- yeah. I’m glad you’re here.”

Lotor sighed and turned his face into the pillow.

“He said he’d take me back,” he said quietly, his words a little muffled. “If I made a public apology for what I did, with that protest. He said he’d take me back, and write me back into the will. And that he’d give me a place at the company, and set me up to take over.”

“What did you say?” Shiro asked, already knowing the answer.

“Obviously I told him to get fucked,” Lotor said with a soft laugh. “I wanted to stay with you,” he added, so quietly Shiro almost missed it.

“You can stay with me as long as you want,” he said, worried it was too much, too close to the truth.

“Shiro,” Lotor said quietly.

“What is it?” Shiro asked, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest.

“I want an ice cream machine.”

Shiro laughed, startled. For a second he’d thought maybe Lotor was about to say something else.

“I want to make ice cream sandwiches,” Lotor said, lifting the bottle of whiskey to his lips. “We can have the cookies and ice cream ready and assemble them to order, so you won’t need a special display case.”

“I’ll get you an ice cream machine,” Shiro said, smiling. He already had his eye on one, had been saving up ever since Hunk had first mentioned it.

“And I want to serve apple pie,” Lotor added softly, “still warm from the oven. With vanilla ice cream on top.”

“Alright,” Shiro said, suddenly feeling warm all over. “Whatever you want.”

The peas had nearly melted by then so he pulled the package off Lotor’s shoulder before running his left hand over the bruise.

“The swelling’s gone down. How does it feel?”

Lotor moved his arm experimentally. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, but maybe I’m just drunk.”

“Maybe,” Shiro said, feeling a little drunk himself.

“Either way it’s an improvement,” Lotor said with a laugh that sounded a little more like what Shiro was used to. He shifted so he was lying on his back and took Shiro’s prosthetic arm to drape it over his chest, shivering a little as the cold metal fingers touched his skin. He kept his hand over Shiro’s as he turned his face so he could see the TV. “I’m glad I’m here too,” he whispered.

 

* * *

 

Shiro woke slowly, feeling groggy and strange. His mouth was dry and tasted foul, his head was pounding, but he felt oddly warm and comfortable all the same, pressed down into the couch by a pleasant weight. It took him a minute to realize the weight was Lotor lying half on top of him, fast asleep. Shiro had his arms around him, hands resting over the bare skin of his back.

He couldn’t help flushing as he became aware of all the places they were touching, practically everywhere. Lotor’s thigh was between his, pressed up against his groin. He closed his eyes again, suddenly feeling a little panicked. How much did they drink last night? Had they-

But no, Shiro was fully dressed and Lotor was still wearing his jeans with his belt buckle digging a little painfully into Shiro’s hip. Shiro didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed. He stayed perfectly still, telling himself he didn’t want to wake Lotor even though he knew he really just wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

How did this even happen? How did they- Shiro winced as fragments of memories came back to him. They’d finished the whiskey, and he’d tried to switch the TV to something else but Lotor had grumpily tried to grab the remote back. They’d ended up laughing and wrestling for it on the couch and the only reason Shiro hadn’t embarrassed himself then was because he’d been too drunk to pop a boner.

Oh fuck. He wasn’t too drunk now.

Lotor groaned, stirring, and then he opened his eyes and raised his head to stare at Shiro in confusion. They were so close that Shiro could feel Lotor’s breath on his face and he found himself frozen with fear and desire. Lotor’s gaze dropped to his lips and he frowned a little before looking up past him to the balcony. Suddenly his eyes widened and he jerked up only to tumble off the couch with a yelp, taking the blanket with him. He struggled out of it frantically while Shiro sat up, staring down at him as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening.

“Shiro! What time is it?” Lotor demanded with panic in his eyes.

Shiro grabbed his phone to check. “Uh- nine?”

“Oh my god- oh my _god!_ We’re late- I fucked up so bad, I’m so sorry- I should have- fuck-!” Lotor jerked to his feet and looked around frantically, though Shiro had no idea for what. Finally Lotor’s words registered and he realized what it was he was so upset about. He took Lotor by the wrist to try and keep him from rushing off.

“Hey, it’s ok, it’s fine-”

“How is it _fine_?” Lotor yelled. “I was supposed to make the batter for the muffins, and get the bread going so it would have enough time to rise-”

“Lotor,” Shiro interrupted firmly. “Allura’s there- she’s handling it. Lance is there too, he’ll help her. They’ve got it under control.”

“What? How-”

“I texted them last night and asked if they could come in early,” Shiro said slowly. “I’m sorry- I guess I should have said something. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“So- it’s actually fine, then?” Lotor asked slowly, his shoulders sagging visibly with relief.

“Yeah,” Shiro said, trying for a smile.

“Oh thank god,” Lotor breathed out, dropping back to the couch and leaning bonelessly against Shiro’s side. “I feel like shit.”

“Maybe you should try going back to sleep?” Shiro asked.

Lotor huffed out a laugh. “I don’t think so. You’ve ruined me- I haven’t been able to sleep in later than seven for weeks now.” He looked up at Shiro, his eyes sparkling wickedly. “You missed your run this morning- does that mean you’re going to turn into a pumpkin?”

Shiro found himself laughing, surprised at how decidedly not awkward the morning after getting embarrassingly drunk with Lotor was turning out to be. “I hope not,” he said.

“I’m going to shower,” Lotor announced. “Mind if I grab some clothes?”

“Sure, you know where everything is.”

As Lotor walked away Shiro watched a little helplessly, eyes caught by the way the muscles of his back moved with every step. He lay back down on the couch, throwing his hand over his eyes. What now? He hadn’t had two consecutive days off in- years, maybe. And Lotor was here too- would he stay? Would he go home? Shiro was completely off-book, flailing around helplessly and wondering what he was supposed to do next.

The shower shut off and Lotor padded out barefoot and in Shiro’s sweatpants again, and of course he’d managed to find a tiny white tank top that must have been a million years old, the fabric so worn from multiple washes it was practically see through.

“All yours,” Lotor said when he saw Shiro looking.

Shiro flushed for a moment, his heart thundering in his chest until he realized Lotor meant the shower. Right. He took an aspirin for his hangover and washed slowly, trying to pull himself together after last night.

As soon as he left the bathroom he was greeted with the heavenly smell of coffee. Lotor was humming as he stood over the kitchen island, cutting tart green apples into thin slices. There were already two steaming cups of coffee on the counter and Shiro took one before sitting down on a stool.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” Lotor said. “Hope you like french toast.”

Shiro rested his face in his hand and watched as Lotor tossed the apples into a small pot with butter and cinnamon and nutmeg and brown sugar before moving on to whisk eggs with a bit of milk and vanilla extract. He delicately dunked thick slices of bread into the mixture before sliding them into a hot pan. He moved with easy confidence, without any wasted gestures, like all this was already second nature.

Shiro felt oddly warm as he watched. He was pleasantly tired, his head full of cotton and still spinning a little. With his usual routine forgotten he felt off-balance, like he was in some kind of dream.

“I know you usually make eggs and stuff,” Lotor said, standing over the stove. “But I can’t seem to make anything that isn’t sweet without messing it up.”

“Eggs and bacon are for Sunday, anyway,” Shiro said, smiling at his back. And if his smile was a little lovestruck that didn’t matter because Lotor couldn’t see.

“Alright,” Lotor said with a quiet laugh. “I guess tomorrow breakfast is up to you.”

Shiro wasn’t sure how to take that. Was Lotor going to stay until then? He was tense as he waited for the other shoe to drop but after breakfast Lotor parked himself on the couch, burrowing into the blanket and jotting notes into the recipe book he always carried with him these days as he squinted intently at his phone. Shiro sat next to him, pretending to be busy on his laptop as he surreptitiously cleared his search history, just in case.

Morning spilled into afternoon and Shiro made lunch, still dreading the moment this would all be over- but Lotor just stayed, not saying much of anything at all, and slowly Shiro started to relax. Lotor dozed off for a while, still clutching his notebook to his chest like a security blanket, and when he woke they put on some dumb movie and Shiro made iced tea and they sat around some more.

“What do you want to do for dinner?” Shiro asked as it got later, hoping the answer wasn’t ‘go home.’

“We should go out somewhere,” Lotor said, stretching with a groan. “We’ve been cooped up in here all day. We can go check on the shop.”

“No,” Shiro said firmly, “we’re not checking on the shop- they’re fine.” He had a feeling if they went back there Lotor would get sucked into some baking project and he didn’t want to share him today with anyone or anything.

“Alright,” Lotor said easily. “There’s a place around here I’ve been wanting to check out, and then you can take me for ice cream so we can try all the flavors and decide what we want to do for when my ice cream machine comes in.” He grinned at Shiro, his whole face lighting up. “And don’t think I was too drunk to remember- you promised!”

“I know,” Shiro said with a laugh. “I remember.”

Lotor changed back into his jeans, borrowing a pull-over from Shiro’s closet before they left, Shiro following Lotor’s lead. It felt strange leaving the warm cozy bubble of his apartment but the dreamlike quality of the day persisted. It was dark outside already, the streetlights islands of cheerful light on the mostly deserted sidewalk.

Lotor led them to a tiny french bistro that was intimate and warm, surprisingly romantic with candle-lit tables and violin music playing quietly over hidden speakers. They got a bottle of wine and lingered over their food, chatting easily the whole time. Shiro was flushed and impossibly happy that he got the chance to be here like this, together with Lotor almost like they were on a date.

Afterwards they went to the ice cream parlor, walking so close their hands brushed together with each step. It was practically empty, most of the college town’s inhabitants were off pre-gaming their parties and the drunks wouldn’t roll in for hours yet.

“I want to try everything,” Lotor said, beaming at all the flavors behind the glass display case.

“Three samples per customer,” the annoyed looking young man behind the counter said.

Shiro pulled out his wallet and slowly dropped a twenty into the tip jar, staring at the guy the whole time. “There’s another twenty in it for you if he leaves happy,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sure, bro,” the guy said, perking up.

It turned out Lotor had been serious when he said he wanted to try _everything_ and they were in there for over an hour before he was satisfied. But that didn’t matter, whenever the guy seemed to be getting annoyed Shiro dropped a little more cash in the tip jar, and it wasn’t like there were other customers they were getting in the way of.

As they turned to leave two young women came in. One of them took one look at Lotor before her eyes widened and a blush spread over her face. Shiro couldn’t help wincing, worried that their little bubble of easy happiness was about to get shattered. 

“Oh my god,” the woman said, stepping up to Lotor uncertainly. “I’m sorry, but- you’re Lotor, right?”

Lotor looked down at her in surprise, still holding what must have been at least thirty tiny plastic spoons. “Uh. Yeah,” he said.

“Oh my god!” she squealed, punching her friend in the shoulder. “It was so cool what you did, standing up to Galra Construction like that!”

Shiro winced again, preparing for the inevitable explosion, but Lotor just stared at the woman and then he smiled faintly.

“Yeah,” he said at last. “Yeah, it was pretty cool. Didn’t work out so great in the end,” he said with a self deprecating laugh, “but it was- I’m glad I did it anyway.”

“So- what are you doing now?” the woman asked, staring at him with a lovestruck expression. “Something amazing, I bet!”

“I’m- I’m a baker. I make cakes and stuff.”

“That’s so cool!” the woman said, grinning widely.

“Yeah,” Lotor said. “Black Lion Bakery on fifth and Market- you should come check us out.” He turned to Shiro, nudging him in the side with his elbow. “You have a business card, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Shiro said, a little surprised at this turn of events as he rooted around in the inside pocket of his coat.

“Would you mind signing it for me?” the woman asked, clasping her hands together in front of her chest.

“Sure,” Lotor said easily and took the pen she handed him before signing the card and giving it to her.

“Oh my god, thank you so much! This was amazing- I think this made my whole month! Thanks again, we’ll definitely come around.”

“Thanks,” Lotor said. “Well- have a good night.”

“Thank you- thank you so much! Um. You too!”

Lotor smiled at her before leading Shiro away and stepping out into the silence of the night once again.

“That didn’t go how I expected it to,” Shiro said carefully once they’d been walking for a while.

Lotor shrugged. “Well, I guess- I don’t know. What does it matter, anyway? I’m never going back. This is my life now. I’m done hiding.”

“I’m glad,” Shiro said, giving in to the urge to drape his arm over Lotor’s shoulders. Lotor pressed closer, sliding his arm around Shiro’s waist. Even though Shiro expected him to let go any second he never did and they walked like that, with their arms around each other and their sides pressed together, back to Shiro’s apartment.

Lotor paused just inside the door once they walked in, standing uncertainly.

“Shiro,” he said quietly, his voice heavy with meaning.

Shiro paused where he was taking off his shoes, suddenly nervous. “Yes?” he asked.

“When are _you_ going to be done hiding?” Lotor asked, staring at him.

Shiro stared back, uncertain and scared. His heart was pounding hard in his chest and he swallowed loudly. “I- what do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” Lotor said quietly. “Don’t you?” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes dark and deep and full of a frightening intensity.

“I-” Shiro managed, but that was all he could get out.

Lotor reached out to grab his sweater before tugging him in closer, wrapping his other hand around the back of Shiro’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. Shiro grunted in surprise, scrambling to find purchase on the door so he wouldn’t fall over. Lotor’s lips were so hot and soft against his he couldn’t help melting, not quite believing what was happening.

After a moment he jerked back, breathing hard. He stared down at Lotor, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“We can’t,” Shiro managed.

“Who says?” Lotor demanded.

“I- I’m your _boss_ ,” Shiro breathed out. “It would be- this is- we shouldn’t-”

“Do you want me, Shiro?” Lotor asked.

Shiro stared down at him, completely lost. He couldn’t tell the truth and he couldn’t lie, either.

“Say it,” Lotor said, tightening his hand in Shiro’s sweater and yanking him closer. “I know you do- but I want to hear you to say it.”

“Fuck,” Shiro whispered, shaking now with a mixture of lust and terror.

“ _Say it_ ,” Lotor hissed, pulling him in so close their lips were practically touching. “Come on. Shiro, _please-_ ”

“Yes,” Shiro breathed out. “I want you. Lotor-”

Lotor dragged him in for another kiss and Shiro shivered as he felt the heat of Lotor’s body against him, everywhere.

They stumbled against each other and then Shiro was pressing Lotor to the door, taking his face in both hands and kissing him desperately. Lotor moaned, raising his hands to grab at Shiro’s hair, at the back of his jacket. He slid his leg around Shiro’s and he couldn’t take it anymore, he grabbed Lotor by the hips and hoisted him up higher.

Lotor gasped in shock and pleasure, wrapping his legs around Shiro’s waist as he grabbed at his shoulders to steady himself.

“Oh fuck,” he moaned, shaking against him, trapped between Shiro’s body and the hard unyielding presence of the door behind him. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Shiro, please-”

Shiro took a step back, still holding Lotor tight by the hips where he was wrapped around him. He could hardly believe what was happening as his legs took them slowly toward the bedroom. He let his fingers tighten over Lotor’s ass and flushed at the answering gasp, and then they were tumbling to the sheets of his bed, still wrapped together.

“Shiro-” Lotor gasped breathlessly between kisses, so hot and eager under him.

Some semblance of reason reared its head and Shiro pulled back, panting. “Maybe we should take this slow,” he managed.

“Fuck you,” Lotor bit out. “How much slower can you get? I want you, I want everything. _Now_.”

He pushed Shiro down into the sheets and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips before yanking off his pullover and tank top in one smooth motion and bending down to wrestle Shiro’s top off too. Shiro let him, mesmerized by the muscles of his chest, by his soft smooth skin, by the way the flush traveled down his body.

“Come on,” Lotor muttered, “come on, Shiro, _please-_ ”

Shiro inhaled sharply and moved to flip them over, leaning in to kiss Lotor again, grabbing his wrists to pin him down to the bed as he kissed Lotor’s neck and then slid lower, down his chest, his stomach, down to finally wrestle his stupidly sharp belt buckle open and yank his jeans down his thighs and off his legs.

He wasn’t wearing underwear, of course he wasn’t, and Shiro felt a little wild as he bent down to take his cock in his mouth. Lotor whined and arched into him, gripping his shoulders tightly as Shiro sped up, swallowing him down greedily like he’d been wanting to for ages.

“Shiro- wait!” Lotor gasped. “Shiro, please- I can’t- I’m going to- ah!”

Shiro didn’t slow, if anything he started sucking harder, moving faster, Lotor’s moans driving him inexorably onwards. He wanted Lotor to fall apart under his hands, his mouth, wanted him to be mindless with pleasure.

Lotor’s pleas dissolved into wordless sobs as his fingers tightened over Shiro’s shoulders, pushing him away and pulling him in at the same time, lost and overwhelmed.

“Ah!” he gasped at last, coming into Shiro’s mouth as his whole body shook with it, unstoppable and uncontrolled.

“Oh,” he whispered, shivering as Shiro pulled back and kissed the crease between his thigh and groin, his stomach, his nipples.

“Alright?” Shiro asked against his lips before kissing him again, pressing forward into his heat.

“Oh- oh fuck,” Lotor managed.

“Do you want more or do you want to stop?” Shiro asked, burying his face in Lotor’s neck, biting at his earlobe and kissing the spot on his throat where his pulse was fluttering wildly. He ran his hands down Lotor’s sides, lingering over the ticklish spots he found just to feel Lotor gasp and writhe against him.

“I want more,” Lotor breathed out. “Shiro- please. I want-”

“Alright,” Shiro said, kissing him on the mouth, swiping his tongue between his lips and pressing as close as he could. He’d been wanting this for so long and now that it was happening he couldn’t quite believe it, needed to take it slow so he knew it wasn’t a dream.

“I want to fuck you,” he managed. “Can I-?”

“Yes, Shiro- yes- _please_ -”

“Alright,” Shiro whispered, biting at Lotor’s nipple just to hear him yelp before he moved to take off his pants and get the lube out of the nightstand, pouring it over the fingers of his left hand.

“Ready?” he asked and Lotor shuddered, spreading his thighs. “Easy,” he whispered, bringing his hand down to rub behind Lotor’s balls and then lower, pressing his finger just inside. “Fuck, you’re so hot,” he said, pushing in deeper.

Lotor whimpered, grabbing at Shiro’s shoulders. He was relaxed after his orgasm, soft and warm, but he pressed closer all the same, clearly wanting more.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, wanted you so badly,” Shiro whispered, pushing in deeper, stroking him inside. “Fuck, you’re so-” he broke off, burying his face into Lotor’s neck, breathing deeply. He was hard and aching for him but he could wait, would wait, until Lotor was ready. He pressed a second finger inside and Lotor whimpered, jerking a little as he arched his back, trying to get closer.

“Alright?” Shiro asked, already knowing the answer. Lotor’s cock was filling again and his hands were tight over Shiro’s shoulders, spurring him on.

“Shiro-” Lotor managed. Shiro curled his fingers up and Lotor gasped and jerked in surprise. “Ah!” he cried out before Shiro did it again, and again.

Lotor panted and writhed on his fingers, hard and ready all over again, and Shiro had a feeling he could come just from this. He wanted to try, another night, but tonight he couldn’t wait much longer.

“Are you ready for me?” he murmured against Lotor’s ear, still pumping his fingers in and out relentlessly.

“Yes- _yes-_ Shiro- come on, please-”

Shiro pulled his fingers free and shifted so he could grab the lube again, making a mess between Lotor’s thighs as he slicked up his cock, his hands shaking too hard for finesse. Lotor laughed and shifted to spread his legs wider, opening up for him, and finally Shiro pressed his cock into Lotor’s body, hot and relaxed beneath him, trembling for him. He pushed in slowly, carefully, watching Lotor’s face as he did.

“Alright?” he whispered.

“Yeah, just-” Lotor angled his hips up and sighed as Shiro sank in deeper. Shiro closed his eyes and moaned as Lotor wrapped his legs around his waist, his hands holding tight to his shoulders.

Shiro started thrusting slowly, trying to make this last. It was nearly impossible with the way Lotor was clutching at him, shivering against him, moaning with every thrust.

“Oh Shiro,” Lotor moaned. “Shiro- come on- more, just- please, faster-”

“Alright,” Shiro breathed out, letting himself move faster, thrust harder. It was impossibly good, even better than he’d imagined. He fucked up into Lotor and flushed at the way he gasped and moved against him, pushing up into his every thrust.

“Ah!” Lotor gasped, throwing his head back. “Yeah, just-”

Shiro lost himself in the heat, in the pressure, in Lotor’s hands grabbing at his shoulders, his sides. “Touch yourself for me,” he managed, and then Lotor was sliding his hand down to stroke himself and crying out even louder and Shiro's world narrowed to this- Lotor underneath him, around him, moaning for him.

“Oh- oh fuck,” he managed, trying to keep it together for just a little longer, and then Lotor was growing silent and arching his back as he came and Shiro let himself go too, his breath stuttering as he felt waves of hot pleasure taking him over and he folded over Lotor’s body, gasping into his neck as his hips jerked desperately, wringing every last bit of pleasure out of him.

He stilled at last, breathing hard, and then pulled out before collapsing to Lotor’s chest.

Lotor brought his hands up to card through Shiro’s hair. “You fucking moron,” he murmured sweetly, “you total idiot. We could have been doing this weeks ago.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said with a shaky laugh. “Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Pidge said you wanted to see me?” Lotor asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he walked into Shiro’s tiny office.

“Yeah,” Shiro said absently, staring at the property listings open on his computer screen. It was undeniable now, they needed a bigger space. “We need to talk,” he said, frowning as he scrolled through the options, looking at rent prices.

Lotor didn’t answer and Shiro looked up to see the color had drained out of his face. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his hands were balled up into fists at his sides, trembling faintly.

“Oh hell,” Shiro said, his own words catching up to him. “Not- not like _that_! I meant- about the business.”

The tension drained out of Lotor’s body all at once and he sighed. “Fuck, Shiro,” he said shakily, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t ever say those words in that order to me again please.”

“Sorry,” Shiro said sheepishly.

“Well- what’s up then? Is something wrong? I though we were doing well, we’re selling out practically every night and we got tons of great publicity after that article about sustainable baking.”

“Yeah, that’s just it,” Shiro said. “We’re doing really well.”

Lotor walked over to sit on the edge of his desk, looking over at his computer screen.

“We’re doing amazing,” Shiro said, putting a hand on his knee. “And that’s mostly down to you. And now that we’re-” he blushed a little.

“Fucking,” Lotor said with a grin.

“I was going to say _together_ ,” Shiro said, laughing. “Listen- it’s really weird for me to be signing your paychecks every two weeks.”

“You want me to do it?” Lotor asked. “I’ve got your signature down pretty good.”

“Oh my god,” Shiro said, dropping his face into his hands. “ _Why_?”

“You’re not always here to take deliveries! Like it’s a big deal,” Lotor scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Anyway,” Shiro said, looking up at him. “I was thinking before we sign a new lease, maybe we can- uh-”

“Spit it out, Shiro,” Lotor said. “Use your words, you can do it.”

“I was thinking maybe instead of you being my employee we can- I was thinking maybe this could be like a partnership?”

Lotor grinned slowly. “So you want to business marry me.”

Shiro blushed. “I mean, I wouldn’t put it like that. But I guess- I guess yeah.”

“Well in that case- yes, Shiro. Yes, I will business marry you. For my wedding present I want an anti-griddle.”

“Add it to the list,” Shiro said, smiling so widely his face was hurting a little.

“You know we’ll need a lawyer for this?” Lotor asked. “Too bad for you I’ve got four of those. I’m going to fleece you so hard, old man.”

“You can fleece me as hard as you want,” Shiro said with a laugh before pulling him down for a kiss.

  


_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> RomCom Soundtrack (by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox)-
> 
> Opening Credits: [Welcome to the Jungle by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT8HuSjcK_0)  
> 1st Baking Montage: [Burn by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVmhhZ0aIco)  
> Lotor Takes Over: [Give it Away by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ZoP26tbms)  
> Shiro Pines: [Black Hole Sun by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLvgD5PF7bA)  
> End Credits: [Birthday by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5PzNjxajCw)
> 
> Random Background Info-
> 
> I imagine Shiro being about 28 here while Lotor's 26ish. Shiro went into the army straight out of high school and after an honorable discharge due to injury decided to just fuck it and open a bakery, because whatever. It sounded nice and peaceful. He doesn't bake really, he manages things mostly with love and determination rather than any kind of actual know-how. Also- I know I said he runs in the mornings, but obviously Shiro LIFTS, bro. Idk when, but... you don't maintain that kind of physique without mad squats. Also he probably benches like a million.
> 
> Lotor was meandering his way through a masters in Finance and Business Administration when he was disowned and had to drop out. Zarkon closed all his accounts and since then Lotor's been too paranoid to open another bank account and has been going cash-only. He probably has cash stashed somewhere really stupid, like in a boot under his futon. He's not paying any rent on that shitty apartment btw.
> 
> The "generals" are a little younger than him and all four of them are in law school. Acxa's doing contract law, Narti is Environmental Law (and Lotor's friendship with her is sort of what got him into his whole mess with his dad), Ezor wants to be a prosecutor and Zethrid a defense attorney.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [barbitone](http://barbitone.tumblr.com/) \- NSFW art at [barbitone-afterdark](https://barbitone-afterdark.tumblr.com/)


End file.
